Bruins in the NFL: Wild Card Weekend

Seven UCLA football standouts were on NFL playoff rosters as Wild Card Weekend took place from Jan. 15-17. Five more figure to suit up when the Divisional Round starts Saturday.

Nose tackle Eli Ankou (Buffalo), tight end Devin Asiasi (New England), center Jake Brendel (San Francisco), center Andre James (Las Vegas), offensive tackle Kolton Miller (Las Vegas), defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (Dallas) and wide receiver Matthew Slater (New England) made up the contingent of Bruins on NFL fields for the opening of postseason play.

Although he was not active for the contest, Ankou was elevated off the Bills' practice squad ahead of the team's 47-17 home win versus New England. Asiasi was also not active on the other side, though Slater made his presence felt with two total tackles on punt returns. Buffalo will next meet Kansas City (Sunday, 3:30 p.m. PT on CBS).

Also in the AFC, James and Miller started along the offensive line, but the Raiders' first playoff appearance since 2016 was cut short in a 26-19 loss at Cincinnati that came down to the game's final possession. Miller made one tackle following a turnover by Las Vegas. Xavier Su'a Filo was still on the Bengals' injured reserve list at the time of the win, but he was activated for the next round and a matchup with inside linebacker Jayon Brown and Tennessee (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. PT).

In the NFC, Brendel played as the 49ers dealt the host Cowboys a 23-17 loss. Dallas fought back from a 23-7 fourth-quarter deficit, but its efforts were too little, too late. Odighizuwa totaled five tackles and a quarterback hurry to complete his rookie season.

Next up for San Francisco is a Saturday night showdown (5:15 p.m. on FOX) with Green Bay, which features three active Bruins in inside linebacker Krys Barnes, nose tackle Kenny Clark and tight ends Marcedes Lewis. Kicker JJ Molson is on the Packers' practice squad.